2024: A Year-end Review

In between concluded parties, quiet mornings after consecutive days of errands, and endless gift wrappings, my mind wanders to reflect on what happened starting from day 1 of 2024. As I sip my coffee on a slow, rainy day in December, I return to this year’s memories with mixed emotions. What would it look like if you were to compile your life’s happenings in a book? Just like any story, my life was intertwined with plot twists, turning points, and anti-climax. Few days left before we welcome another chapter, and as we are down to writing the last pages of 2024’s narrative, we collect the pictures of this year with gratefulness and anticipation.

For those who know me, it is no secret the past 3 years were pretty tough. I lost my dad, my pet Basti, and my cousin Jessa. I had a minor head injury in 2022 and underwent major surgery last year. Surviving those incidents was no small feat. So as I embraced the beginning of 2024, I prayed that my resilience would help me to once again face this year’s challenges with optimism. I also noticed that with the losses I had to endure over the past years, I felt that I was tougher (but still a work in progress) and unavoidably became less detached from people and circumstances. I would still get affected by relationships, but I would overcome them easily and just move on with the next chapter.

Join me as I try to summarize my life’s colorful twists and turns, hoping to impart valuable lessons to my readers.

The Art and Gift of Balancing Relationships

If the past years were bombarded with health issues and deaths in the family, this year my heart was tested by constantly fixing relationships. In friendships and family, I had different experiences of inevitably disappointing people as I also tried to carve my way into dealing with the pain of hurtful words and treatments. I realized that as we grow older, we unconsciously change and that gradual change might be offensive or shocking to some. Shifting priorities, learning to navigate life’s challenges, forming new ties, and being upfront in expressing your thoughts are factors that eventually transform your ways of connecting to people. In a common term used these days, it’s similar to being “nonchalant” but not in the sense you stopped caring, you just stopped being fixated on it too much. You easily forgive and go on. I thought that I would almost burn bridges with important people in my life, but thankfully I was able to save them through open communication and understanding. Although these silently created a slight dent in my heart, I am already past that stage of blaming myself if things don’t work out the way they used to. I stopped overly investing myself in things I was unable to control.

If relationship challenges were part of the parcel and package, I am also grateful to have cultivated more meaningful relationships this year. I noticed that every time I would go out on a weekend, it was with different sets of people from work, church, or school. Realizing I am blessed with connecting with people from different environments, I am thankful that I am somehow able to impart to their lives through shared memories and exchanges of meaningful conversations. I attended several weddings, hung out with friends, and engaged in activities in our church. I was surprised to be even nominated as an officer in our Ladies’ group in our church when I was just a quiet attendee who occasionally participated in building the program of the group through games or video presentations. I am thankful for the trust given to me and equally privileged to be of service to the ministry.

Career: Intentional Relationships and Work-Life Balance

This year, I went up the stage to receive recognition for my 10th-year service in FactSet Philippines Inc. It’s been a decade of hard work and dedication, receiving accolades, building relationships, and influencing and empowering other people.

I am thankful that despite the global crisis of which we are all affected, we still have a stable career at FactSet. I would always do my best at work to exceed expectations but I learned to not overly stretch myself to avoid stress, health problems, and mental exhaustion. In the past two years, I was highly engaged in balancing projects, extra-curricular activities, and normal day-to-day responsibilities that I was unaware I got stressed and depressed to the point of losing so much weight. Now, I try to avoid going online during leaves, doing excessive and unnecessary overtime, and accepting too many work delegations that I cannot handle. Work can oftentimes be associated with politics and gossip, so you learn to stand your ground and define boundaries. I aim not just to be productive with work, but to be more intentional in helping and mentoring people. People will forget your achievements, but they will not forget your kindness and the way you treat them. Honestly, since I have mastered my role and memorized the day-in and day-out of my job, I sometimes wonder about shifting to other career opportunities. It’s in my head, but I haven’t found clarity about it yet in my heart. Let’s see in the future.

Managing Finances Responsibly

Hmm, what can I say about my finances? It’s far from perfect, but I try to improve constantly. I try to stick to my budget every payday, but of course, there are deviations, especially for unforeseen circumstances, emergencies, and wants. I pay all my obligations first before circling back to my wants. It is not easy, but manageable. I have used my credit card on several occasions, but I try not to be buried in debt by paying consistently as much as possible. Others may perceive that I am not struggling financially, but of course, there have been challenges as well. One thing I try to maintain is giving back to the Lord what belongs to Him. He owns everything and we are just stewards of material blessings. I also don’t get too frustrated if I don’t achieve my target savings, or strictly follow my written budget. As long as I know I can provide for my family’s needs and still exercise responsibility in spending, then we should be good. This year, I am guilty of overspending on eating out at restaurants and food – but still, I have no regrets because these are cherished moments with family and loved ones.

Health and Wellness

Thankfully, my period cramps have improved. Although I still bleed heavily from time to time, my dysmenorrhea is now more manageable compared to before. I also have regular check-ups with my OB to monitor my endometriosis. I am still taking Dienogest pills, a medication used to treat endometriosis and to control the production of my hormones.

However, the post-surgery effects include weight gain and uneven growth of my hair. After my surgery, I noticed that the parts of my head that had hair loss have now newly grown baby hairs. As a result, my hair is growing unevenly and I have to be patient with it. Weight gain and hair issues have been two of my greatest insecurities related to my physical appearance recently. Can’t stop eating delicious food or even stop taking pills, but I know I have to start changing my diet to preserve my health. Although these are some of the untoward effects on my physique, I also have to accept that these manifest as a result of aging and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Overcoming Family Highs and Lows

At the start of the year, we celebrated a milestone in the family as we witnessed my sister’s union with Carl in Tagaytay. It was an answered prayer for all of us and a joy to welcome Carl as an addition to the family. However, two days after the wedding, our dog Oreo passed away due to chronic kidney disease (same with Basti). It seems that he just waited for the wedding to be over before he said goodbye.

This year, my family and I had to deal with several concerns in health, finances, and relationships. Although we had our disagreements from time to time, I know that at the end of the day, we are still family and we have a strong foundation of weathering the storms together – as always. Honestly, I resented my family for putting me in a position where I had to take care of the needs of almost everyone just because I am the only person with a stable income in our home. Although my sister helps me out with the bills and expenses, I know that she has her own family to take care of so I sometimes think twice about raising my concerns to her. I even thought of moving out because shouldering the burden gets too exhausting. I wanted my own space where I could think of myself this time without being bothered by others. However, assessing my current situation, I am still incapable financially. During these moments, I just pray for endurance and strength, an open mind and heart to understand the family’s situation. That despite everything, we are still blessed. What we have is more than enough. Our family dynamics are unique in the sense that we are not used to being too affectionate or too expressive with our feelings, but we can feel each others’ support through actions. My siblings and I get to bond more often compared to before, and our relationships are strengthened as we surpass the trials together.

Enjoying the Gift of Travel

This year, I just had two travels – but both were meaningful and purposeful. Last February, I stayed in Zamboanga for four days to visit my best friend Fatma, whom I had not seen for so many years. I stayed in their family home to bond with her and the kids. We enjoyed home-cooked and restaurant food and went on a road trip for sightseeing in Zamboanga. It’s my way of appreciating her for our years of friendship and also making up for the lost time after she moved to Zamboanga to embrace motherhood.

And lastly, I fulfilled another dream of celebrating my birthday in Japan last August. Helen invited me to travel to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto since she joined a hike to Mt. Fuji. It’s no secret to her that I love Japan and mentioned several times to her my wish of traveling with her to Tokyo. It was truly an unforgettable summer in Japan, exploring new places and food, navigating maps and locations, and surpassing the challenge of endless walking. It was all worth it.

Finding Joy in My Season

Japan has four seasons, winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Each season has its own challenge and beauty for tourists, but every season unfolds to reveal its uniqueness that should not be compared with one another. I might be in the season of enjoying my singlehood and being a career woman and it has its own perks and downsides. I am free as a bird to explore life’s colorful opportunities without the demands of commitment or being tied to the responsibilities of raising a family. I have my own timeline in front of me. Although I consider myself as a breadwinner, I can still be flexible in managing my expenses. For some, my season might be different from my peers, but I believe we are in the right place where we are supposed to be. You just need to find the joy in it — maximize the time to grow, to learn, and to be more useful for His glory.

I am confident that when I jump to another season of sharing it with someone — my journey, my dreams, secret desires, my pains – I will be more than ready. For now, I will grab my pen and continue writing my story. For now, I will patiently wait as the glaciers melt, the leaves fall, as the bud blooms into a flower, and witness the hues of nature change.

As the year ends, I thank the Lord for sustaining me with strength and wisdom, for the answered prayers and challenges, financial provision, and for blessing me with people as instruments of His mercy and grace.